A wave of violent storms swept across the central United States on Thursday, bringing tornadoes, strong winds, heavy rainfall and flash flooding. As a result, around 540,000 homes and businesses were left without electricity.
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Indiana was hit hardest, with more than 267,000 power outages reported. That figure represents around 8% of the state’s nearly 3.3 million electricity customers.
Data from PowerOutage.us showed that outages affected hundreds of thousands of customers across several Midwestern states. Power companies and emergency crews began working to restore service.
Among the worst-affected utilities was the Northern Indiana Public Service Company, known as NIPSCO. Around 258,885 homes and businesses supplied by the company were left without power, representing nearly 55% of its customers.
According to NIPSCO, energy infrastructure sustained extensive damage, including downed utility poles and power lines, as well as fallen trees. Due to the scale of the damage, restoring power in some areas could take several days.
The severe weather also claimed lives. In Geneva, Indiana, a four-year-old boy died after a tree fell on a house during Tuesday’s storms.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine said a Roseville resident died during a medical emergency. Flooded roads prevented first responders from arriving in time.
Meanwhile, authorities in Portage, Indiana, were investigating whether severe weather conditions had contributed to a reported explosion at a home that killed one person.
Several operations were carried out in Ohio and western Pennsylvania to rescue people from floodwaters. Emergency crews also worked to clear fallen trees and downed power lines from roads.
AccuWeather forecasters warned that the Midwest and the eastern United States could face further rounds of powerful storms. Strong winds and repeated rainfall could lead to dangerous flooding.
